small, small world

Last week the husband and I went on a fabulous date to a cute bistro on the quaint square in our town. It's so cute you have to take an elevator to find it and they only serve dinner one day a week. I felt like a cool local that knows all the secrets and shortcuts.

On our way in, we passed a seriously eclectic bookstore that had a sign in the door advertising an open stage that night. Open stage is like open mic without a microphone. During dinner, the husband talked me into going home and picking up our instruments and playing some tunes. It was one of my favorite dates ever!

The funniest moment happened often we'd played and were wandering the store, listening to the other performers. The walls were covered in old pictures of the town and newspaper clippings. One caught my eye because it had violinists in the picture. I looked closer to see if I maybe knew them, and I saw this:

It was ME!  3 years ago I had been invited to play at their New Years party and it was so unremarkable I'd forgotten all about it.  Which begs the question - how many times have I been in the local paper here and not been aware of it??

life according to instagram

i'm going to come out and say it

I think ... we're decent. Good, even. I'm afraid to say anything because I don't want to jinx things. So maybe more details later, but for now, I'm cautiously optimistic. I think I've got this. I have an almost 2 month old - has it been 7 weeks? It feels like longer. A lot longer, and not in a bad way. I can parent 3 human children and not go crazy. It's not due to any of my own skill, but rather a boatload of blessings. A husband who has far more energy and patience than a new bishop in his situation could ever have, an incredibly generous mother in law who has spent over a year battling cancer and still finds the energy to keep everything running - and I mean everything. A sister in law willing to come and hold Thing 3 for 10 days so I could get a handle on things with both hands, plus multitudes of additional tender mercies. Oh, and a sweet baby who is willing to sleep at night (please don't let saying it out loud jinx it!!).

I prayed so hard for my burdens to be lifted this time, but I was blessed with angels instead. So now... I've kind of got this. FYI.

from the vault. and my iphone.

Backstory on the backstory:  Thing 3 insists on napping in my arms so I'm stuck in one place snuggling him, with my phone and my Tiny Post app to keep me company.  I found these pictures on FB that tell an amusing story so I'm telling it.  Weee.

Backstory: The husband and I had been dating for a few weeks when his sister came to town for her wedding reception.  I did NOT want to go - a wedding reception is an awkward place for an unmarried gal, especially if it means going and meeting the whole family of a guy she has only been dating for a few weeks.  But the husband has this magical power to talk me into just about anything so away I went.

Things were uncomfortable but moving along - when the dreaded bouquet toss happened.  I considered making a run for it, but the husband and his best friend pushed me - literally pushed me - out onto the gym floor and told me they'd give me a dollar to catch it.  Okay, my dignity costs way more than a dollar, and there is no more embarrassing experience then looking like some desperate spinster, especially in front my just-barely-boyfriend's family.  Blagh.

You can see the horror in my face.

I'm guessing everyone else was forced out there too, because the bouquet was tossed, and landed with a thud on the ground.  It was highLARIOUS.  And it's even more highlarious now that I've found pictorial proof - because standing right next to me in the red shirt was a girl I didn't know yet.  The bride ended up being my sister-in-law a few months later (that's to that trait the husband has at talking me into anything) - and that red-shirt girl ended up my sister-in-law too, marrying my little brother 6 years later.

Ha!  Whoda think, huh??

nothing says you're a grown up like...

eating fries and a milkshake for dinner. Also, I miss this lady madly already. Thank you for 10 days of sanity!!!!

instagram-ed

THIS EXISTS. THE END.

I've been pretty silent because Jane has been here, taking care of all the things. When she leaves tomorrow and I will be trying desperately to not be madly depressed so I'll get back to posting. But for now, I want you to feast your eyes in this creation we made - Bacon Bark. Yes, dark chocolate and bacon and it is DELISH. Seriously.

there wasn't any throw up in there at the time

"Mom, The Dude is sitting in my throw up bowl!"

The Silver Fox strikes again

So one of my instagram friends had a baby a week before me, has 2 other kids that are about the Dude's age and younger, and she's on a family vacation at Disneyland.  They have all these cute pictures they are posting and I wonder - how do you have a chance to post for pictures? I know I shouldn't compare - but when we go in public, one of us has to be on Dude duty because he goes berzerk and has to experience All.The.Things.  All at once.  Doing church solo is a trip because he's gone like a rocket, and our halls are too small and crowded to chase after him without hurting bystanders.  Getting Easter pictures was... quick.  Blurry.  And squinty, but that's probably not the Dude's fault.

It made me feel low.  It's not an easy job raising the Dude and I feel like a good portion of his crazy is my fault, seeing as I'm the one he spends the most time with.  Maybe if he spent time with someone else, someone calm and collected, that might have rubbed off on him.

And then I saw this quote:

Seriously.  My mad crush on Elder Uchtorf is completely justified.  Isn't that exactly what I was doing and needed to hear??  Thank you Pinterest and The Silver Fox.  That's my nickname for Elder Uchdorf.  Don't judge, you know he is.

Then this morning I was reading a conference talk by Elder D. Todd Christofferson - Reflections on a Consecrated Life and it was so good I had to read it two more times.  Then I had to switch it to audio so I could hear it again.  It's one of those awesome view-from-above talks that helps to see the bigger picture.  LOVED it.

Then when that talk was done and my hands were full, the app I was using went immediately on to the next talk - Of Things That Matter Most by Elder Uchdorf.  I smiled, because 1. I remembered the joke from the beginning of the talk and still love it, and 2. Hellooooo, it's Uchtdorf.  I swear that man looks right into my SOUL when he speaks.  He knows women.

But oh. my golly.  This was no ordinary random talk.  This was EXACTLY what I needed.  That's not hyperbole.  EXACTLY.  Uchdorf is psychic - and he delivered this message in 2010.  Do you know what that means?  HE CAN ALSO TIME TRAVEL.  Dagnabit he's awesome.  I'd tell you to read the whole talk - and MAN - you should, but if you need a few nuggets, here are some of the best psychic quotes:

• Have you ever been in an airplane and experienced turbulence? The most common cause of turbulence is a sudden change in air movement causing the aircraft to pitch, yaw, and roll. While planes are built to withstand far greater turbulence than anything you would encounter on a regular flight, it still may be disconcerting to passengers.  What do you suppose pilots do when they encounter turbulence? A student pilot may think that increasing speed is a good strategy because it will get them through the turbulence faster. But that may be the wrong thing to do. Professional pilots understand that there is an optimum turbulence penetration speed that will minimize the negative effects of turbulence. And most of the time that would mean to reduce your speed. The same principle applies also to speed bumps on a road. Therefore, it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions.
•  When stress levels rise, when distress appears, when tragedy strikes, too often we attempt to keep up the same frantic pace or even accelerate, thinking somehow that the more rushed our pace, the better off we will be.
• My dear brothers and sisters, we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most.
• The fourth key relationship is with ourselves. It may seem odd to think of having a relationship with ourselves, but we do. Some people can’t get along with themselves. They criticize and belittle themselves all day long until they begin to hate themselves. May I suggest that you reduce the rush and take a little extra time to get to know yourself better. Walk in nature, watch a sunrise, enjoy God’s creations, ponder the truths of the restored gospel, and find out what they mean for you personally. Learn to see yourself as Heavenly Father sees you—as His precious daughter or son with divine potential.
• Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light. It comes from placing our attention and efforts on the basics of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It comes from paying attention to the divine things that matter most.

I keep beating myself up because I've had to go into survival mode - for Easter dinner, we nuked some corn dogs.  I'm not the kind of person that can go all out and do anything all fabulously anyway, but it's just down to keeping my family alive, keeping me from getting so depressed that it adversely effects them, and staying sharp enough to feed Thing 3 at 4am.  Dang it, I HATE that. I have another friend who is currently IN one of my all-time favorite bands, touring and recording and living out my entire rockstar fantasy - and I'm sitting in one place, trying to jam a pacifier into Thing 3's noise hole.  He doesn't appreciate my efforts, by the way.  But like Elder Uchtorf reminded me, this time is a speed bump, and going at it full speed will do bad things to the muffler.  (I know whereof I speak on that one. Sorry, Dad). 

I'm still a wreck and am counting the hours until Jane gets here (she's coming to visit me TOMORROW!!!!), but I can get through today, thanks to The Silver Fox.  He's like a super hero... dude, someone with graphics skillz needs to make that image STAT!!

PS - By the way, General Conference is THIS WEEKEND! !  I am SO pumped, so ready for a refilling of my spiritual well.  You can see it here live Saturday and Sunday at 10 and 2 MST, or whenever you want after that.  I'll see you there :)

life, instagram-ed

So this was the last week or so according to instagram. I'm posting this from my phone so they are presented sans explanation and completely out of order, but if you are desperate for clarification (Jane) you can check me out on instagram @onebrickshyish.